The present invention relates to filter elements for oil pans and to filter element/oil pan combinations. More particularly, the present invention relates to filter elements for use with oil pans and to a combination of filter elements and oil pans, which oil pans are useful for containing transmission fluid and lubricating oil associated with automotive vehicles.
Automotive devices such as transmissions, both automatic and standard which use recirculating-transmission fluid, as well as internal combustion engines which use recirculating lubricating oil, filter the fluid and oil to remove particulate contaminants therefrom. In these devices, oil drains into oil pans prior to being recirculated back through the transmission or engine. In automatic transmissions, it is a practice to use a pan-type filter with a flow tube covered by a pan/tray with the tray acting as a sump for the fluid. Some sumps have a horizontal floor and others have an inclined floor. The filter life is determined by the area of the media and by utilization of the media in a way that provides good flow characteristics.
In order to decrease the cost of transmission maintenance by protecting the quality of the oil used as transmission fluid, there is a need to increase the life of the filter media, while improving efficiency and decreasing restriction thereof.
In view of the aforementioned considerations, it is a feature of the present invention to provide a new and improved filter element, wherein the filter element is configured for use in an oil pan useful in devices such as transmissions and internal combustion engines.
The invention is directed to a filter element used in a housing; wherein the filter element comprises a pleated filter media folded to provide upstream and downstream peaks having troughs therebetween, and wherein the filter media is mounted in a frame having side plate portions for sealing the ends of the troughs and laterally extending flanges which slope toward the filter media to direct the fluid being filtered onto the filter media.
In another aspect of the invention, the aforedescribed filter element is in combination with a housing, the housing being an oil pan for transmission fluid. The housing is divided into an upper chamber and a sump with the aforedescribed filter element being disposed between the upper chamber and sump.
In still another aspect of the invention, the aforedescribed filter element is used in combination with a housing that forms an oil pan for lubricating oil of an internal combustion engine.